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BPAL Madness!

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Simplicity and innocence, gleefully despoiled! Sugared violet.


Origin: decant from eviltemptressdq's circle

Initial Thoughts: the BPAL violet and I normally do not get along. Violet turns to a nasty acrid smell on me unless it's well buried by many, many other notes (see: Bearded Lady, Purple Phoenix). But in experimenting with other companies, I found violets that did work on my skin. So, it's just a decant...let's see.

In the Bottle: As advertised. Very sweet sugary violets.

Wet: Very strongly sugar with just an undertone of floral.

Drydown: The violet starts to show up...and of all things, I am getting rubber! Pencil-eraser rubber! And then it starts to go plastic on me. :P

Verdict: Well, I suppose it's a step up from the nasty acridness that is my normal violet experience...still passing this one on.

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Now, I thought I'd love this, because I've never had a problem with violets before, and sugar? hey, even better. But on, I find this really really REALLY sweet. I guess unadulterated violet isn't quite for me, even sugared up as these violets are. It dries down to something a bit softer and sweet with a touch of vanilla - it's a very very pretty scent. But I think that for me, Faith is a little much - I'll stick with her lovely sister.

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whoa! violets!

 

i sat huffing my violet self for a bit, then my boyfriend, who slathered himself with my Isaac the Living Skeleton, told me that I smelled like 'parma violets...or old lady bubble bath'.

 

bummer.

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at first: a sweet, slightly weedy-smelling violet.

on:a sweet violet. very pretty.

2 hours later: dark, sweet violets.

5 hours later: heavy, sweet violets.

overall: many bpal violet scents don't work for me, but this is a happy exception. i'll be getting myself a bottle.

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I purchased a set of the twins decanted because I feared their florals would go wonky on me.

 

My fear was nearly unfounded.

 

While Hope wasn't exactly all I hoped for (pun intended), Faith is exactly what I needed to push me into buying a set in the VERY near future.

 

In the vial: As with Hope, not much came to my nose. It was only as I started to put it on that it's delightful sweet scent showed itself.

 

Wet: As with Hope, Faith is faithful to the scent of sugared flowers and smells exactly like violet flavored cremes----quite possibly the most scrumptious candy in the entire world. It made me long for London, ache for it, even.

 

As it dried down: It didn't lose the scent of sugared violet candies. It did not become overwhelming or cloying. It was light and faded before the day was done, but I never tried reapplying it.

 

This is such a perfectly wonderful scent, floral without being perfumey, and I suspect it will become a favorite of mine.

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Bottle: sweet violet - like the violet candied I have in my desk at work

Wet: still those violet mints

Dry: tarting to increase in sweetness

Later: even sweeter, and still in the realm of violet candymints. Darn. :P

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Faith is just as described, sugarly fresh violets. She isn't as sweet as her twin however and fades just as quickly from my skin. I'm not as crazy about violet as I am rose, but I do like Faith. Hope and Faith also layer very well together.

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There are certain violet things that I love -- violet ice cream (not that I can find that anywhere, but still...), and yes the Choward's violet mints -- violet candles and incense, as well. But violet in perfumes is so faint and powdery that I tend to avoid it.

 

Not so for Faith. She is a perfect violet! The sugaring in this blend is a lot stronger than her sister, I find -- and yes it does remind me a bit of Antique Lace plus violets. I found AL to be a little too plain on me, but this has that lovely smoky sugared scent with the violet candy frosted over it. I wore this behind my ear, so it would get in my hair, and it has a lot of staying power that way. With Hope in the other ear, whispering in chorus.

 

I'd say that I like these equally, but since this blend made me like a note I usually don't like in perfume (violet) it gets a special place of honor and respect.

 

I identify with Hope and Faith a bit too since I'm a redhead (Hope) but have dyed my hair purple on numerous occasions (Faith)!

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I really like this scent. I am a fan of violets in general, so I was very excited about Faith. She is the reason I ordered the Hope and Faith scent. And I'm very pleased with the result. On me this is just like the description- sweet, sugary violets. I wouldn't say it's my favorite violet BPAL (that honor goes to The Raven, I think), but this is a very wearable violet, and it's always nice to have another take on a favorite note.

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This is lovely- very ethereal. And, as a previous reviewer stated, it's almost exactly like a violet Antique Lace. At first I thought it smelled too "old" for me- it reminds me of my grandmother. Then it grew on me, and I really like it now, more than Antique Lace- the spouse made a face and declared Faith the scent of a cleaning product, so I won't be getting more of this, but I do believe I will be holding on to my decant. I can't wait to try Hope.

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Faith is a strong violet-candy scent, as expected--there's a nice vanilla-cream quality to the violet that makes it much more romantic than, say, The Raven. Violet is a note I neither love nor hate--it's nice on me when done right, and Faith is the nicest violet BPAL I've ever tried. She's a bit addictive, in fact; I keep sniffing myself.

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I wasn't expecting to like this one, but I was so wrong!

 

Sweet, soft violets with a vanilla base - it totally does remind me of Antique Lace with a violet overlay. Beautiful. Because this reminds me so much of Antique Lace, I wouldn't be surprised to find there's white musk in here.

 

As it wears, it also reminds me of Black Opal, there's a touch of the mineral smell. The longer it's on, the stronger the mineral scent becomes and it becomes more about that mineral scent and vanilla with the sugar and violet adding a lovely sweet element.

 

I like violet but don't find myself wearing it much. I think this is my favorite of all the violet blends that I've tried. I just may be tempted to get a bottle of this one.

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In bottle: Sweet candied violets. The sugar reminds me of the sugar in MB: Underpants.

 

Wet on skin: Stays true to the bottle. Gorgeous! It's not foody, but my mouth is watering.

 

Drydown: I can see why people compare this to a violet antique lace; that's quite a good description. It's much better, though! I really love this scent.

 

The violets fade quickly. It's a lot milder than Hope, stays closer to the skin and it doesn't have nearly as much throw. I really wish this was as strong as its sister! It's still quite nice, and I'll just have to reapply often!

 

Layering Hope & Faith is really worth it. They smell twice as lovely when they're together!

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The violetblends that I have tried (Ultraviolet, the Raven amongst a few others) usually scream 'purple, heady violet' to me. faith doesn't, it is a much lighter and gentler kind of violet. On my skin, this turns into a clean scent, almost like slightl old-fashioned soap. Nice, and slightly addictive.

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Faith

 

In the bottle: Parma Violets! This smells like sweet violets covered in sugar.

Wet on skin: sweet sugar coated violets! This is such a pretty scent.

Dry on skin: ah, now I see the Antique Lace comparison, although to me it seems closer to Black Opal, or Lick It with violet instead of mint. This is powdered violet mixed with icing sugar, but it actually smells more like Parma Violet sweets (right down to the chalkiness of such sweets). This is unbelievably pretty, and one of the few violet scents that doesn't smell 'old fashioned' to me.

After a while: goodness, this really does smell like Parma Violets now. Just like those little purple pastilles-violets, sugar, and even a powdery chalky scent. But that's no bad thing at all-I really like this violet sweets scent that I get here, it's fresh and delicate, sweet and delightful.

Eventually a soft powdery vanilla musk starts to appear, very much like the Lick It base, it smells like a fine powdery sugar and vanilla with violet on top, and a little white musk. The scent ends off nicely on that pale, sugary, powdery violet, a delightful fragrance.

Verdict: this is the ultimate sugary violet scent. And it is a liquid version of those Parma Violet sweets I used to get in my Christmas stocking. I've said that about a few violet BPALs now but this one is the most 'Parma Violety' of the lot. Nothing can beat Faith for that title now. And surprisingly, it seems I really like smelling like this…for one, it's not the usual old-fashioned violet scent, it isn't dusty, traditional, cold and faded like some violet scents can be, it doesn't smell 'old' at all. The sugar in here is soft and crumbly, it's like icing sugar, and strongly reminds me of the sugar in Lick It, making this smell like a violet flavoured sweet, right down to the chalky-powdery scent of those sweets, but there's something like white musk at drydown which smoothes the scent off beautifully. This is light and dainty and uncompliacted, Faith is the softer twin here, and this scent is delicate and youthful. I do prefer Hope as I am more of a rose fan but this is my favourite of the violets so far along with Melisande, she is the violet cousin of Antique Lace, a younger Melisande or a more playful Le Serpent Qui Danse.

Emoticon rating: :P

Is it a keeper? Of course. Thankfully I'm very fond of Faith as well as Hope. Definitely a set to stock up on.

If you like this, try: Le Serpent Qui Danse, Melisande, Black Opal, Antique Lace, The Raven, Bearded Lady, Lick It (Again)

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I knew I would love this scent when I took a whiff out of the bottle and tested a little drop upon receiving my twins yesterday, but I wanted to wait to write a review until I have given Faith a proper wearing as I did with Hope last night. Faith is every bit as beautiful as her sister Hope. Really... I am incredibly impressed with the beauty of both of these blends, both separately and as a pair. They really are the perfect florals, and I can imagine even people that think they don't like florals would be able to fall in love with these.

 

Faith seems to me to be a very sugared lavendar-colored blend. The violets are there and make themselves known, but as with Hope, there is delicious, velvety vanilla creme note that is equally prominent. It blends with and balances the floral perfectly and again causes me to wonder whether I would rather inhale the skin right off my wrist or gobble down huge bites of it, because it definitely feels like one of the two if not both. Also like Hope, Faith sticks around for a very long time without morphing too much or becoming really loud or overpowering. She's perfection. I can't sing her praises enough. I swear... that Beth is a genius.

 

Honestly people... at least try Hope and Faith. Even if you think you don't like florals. I think they would especially appeal to the same crowd that loves Antique Lace.

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Faith is much sweeter and stronger than Hope, at least on me. The violet doesn't turn soapy or powdery, but it's very sweet, bordering on cloying. It reminds me a bit of Le Serpent Qui Danse, but I actually like it a bit less. Just not my thing, I guess.

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Bah! Why??

 

Lovely in the imp -- pretty much as the description reads. Sweet violets, a touch cloying but very pleasant.

 

On my skin -- instant play-doh.

 

Violet /hates/ me. :P

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Apparently Faith and I are not meant to be which is a shame because violets have special meaning to me.

 

In the bottle it was sweet but also a tiny bit spicy. On I get nothing but pure sugar and it makes my head ache ferociously and my stomach roll. Poor Faith, it seems I must seperate her from her sister.

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I really can't review these separately -- and who could separate the twins, anyway? One is the most delicious rose, the other the most delicious violet. A dab of Hope on one wrist, then Faith on the other, caress them gently together, and inhale -- ahhhhhh..... sublime. The combination is swooningly beautiful, and every time I try it, I'm enchanted anew. If you love florals, you must get this set.

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FAITH

 

In Bottle: Sweet violets

 

On Skin: Instantly I am reminded of the little “Violet Charmkin” I had when I was a kid. Remember Charmkins? They were little charm people you could play with and wear as jewelry, and they were scented. I love it!!! So sweet!! Like violet flavored cotton candy. I want to eat it!! It also reminds me of those little Victorian Pastilles candies. Very simple this scent, and I like it that way. Sugar and violet, nothing else. After about 10 minutes I do get a slight plasticy tone from this, but I don’t care since it is so slight. Medium throw and medium to long wearlength.

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In the imp: violet creme centers. Surprise surprise.

 

On me, wet: it disappeared entirely as it hit my skin, weirdly. I get the fainted trace of sugary violet creaminess.

 

On me, dry: hello? hello? I can detect the faintest whiff of a parma-violet-ish scent, less powdery than most BPAL violets on me, but *incredibly* faint.

 

Verdict: I guess not, but hey, at least it didn't go to baby powder.

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I don't really want Faith to know this, because her teeth frighten me, but I was really only interested in her sister. I knew this would be a pretty violet, and it is, but the scent of violet is usually too overpowering for me. It sends me into sensory overload.

 

Having said that, this truly is a lovely scent. Fresh, it does remind me of Antique Lace with violet overtones. I prefer that stage to the drydown, wherein it becomes a little too powdery. But it is what is advertised - pure, sweet violet.

 

I haven't tried mixing the two together yet - I imagine that might be very nice. I don't think I'll part with Faith, just don't know how often I'll use her as a skin scent. I think she'd make a lovely lotion addition.

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This is pretty, although I was honestly mainly looking forward to Hope. It's sweet violets - the sugar is powdered rather than frosted or syrupy. It will be an enjoyable little imp when I'm in the mood, which probably won't be too often.

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